UCSB  LIBRARY 


/ 

"THE   CHASTENING   OF 
THE   LORD." 

Four  Bible  Readings  given  at 
St.  Peter's,  Eaton  Square, 


RT.  REV.  GEORGE  H.  WILKINSON,  D.D. 

BISHOP    OF   TRURO. 


JJ9mt!)  ^f)ou0anD. 


NEW    YORK: 

E.     AND    J.    B.     YOUNG    AND    Co. 

COOPER   union. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/chasteningoflordOOwill<iala 


Co  t!)e  Sicfe  anti  Suffering 

of  5t.  IPetCT's,  (il^aton  5<l«a«, 

tt)e  foUotoiitg  atitirfsses 

^ffectionatelB  ©etiicatrt 

is 
tijcir  foimcc  'iJicar, 

(^eorg:  ^-  Cruron. 


"TIE  CHASTEXIXG  OF  THE  LOED." 


FEW  AY  EVENING,  Soth  JUNE,  18S0. 


Hebbews  XII.  5,  6,  7.  "  And  ye  have  forgotten  the  exhor- 
tation which  speaketh  unto  you  as  unto  children,  My  son, 
despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor  faint  when 
thou  art  rebuked  of  Him :  for  whom  the  Loed  loveth  He 
chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  He  receiveth.  If 
ye  endure  chastening,  God  dealeth  with  you  as  with  sens  ;  for 
what  son  is  he  whom  the  father  chasteneth  not  ?  " 

I  PROPOSE,  my  brethren,  to  take  these  words  to- 
day, not  ■with  their  context,  but  in  their  more 
general  application,  as  in  the  Service  for  the 
"Visitation  of  the  Sick;"  as  a  message  to  all 
persons  who  are  in  trouble,  sorrow,  need,  sick- 
ness, or  any  other  adversity.  "  These  words  are 
written  in  Holy  Scripture  for  omf  comfort  and 
instruction  ;  that  we  should  patiently,  and  with 
thanksgiving,  bear  our  Heavenly  Father's  cor- 
rection, whensoever  by  any  manner  of  adversity  it 
shall  please  His  gracious  goodness  to  visit  us." 

B 


2  '"''Tlie  Cha.'^tening  of  the  Lord^ 

Let  us  not  narrow  this  conipreliensive  inter- 
pretation,— "  nni)  manner  of  adversity."  In  body, 
soul,  and  spirit,  man  is  made  capable  of  suffering. 
We  suffer  witb  the  body,  in  ph^'sical  pain.  We 
suffer  with  the  heart,  Avhen  its  affections  are 
wounded  or  blighted.  We  suffer  with  the  mind, 
when  the  dark  mists  of  unbelief  surround  us ;  or 
when  the  consciousness  of  failing  powers  of  con- 
centration and  reflection  forces  itself  upon  us 
w^ith  a  depressing  influence.  We  suffer  with  the 
spirit,  when  the  powers  of  evil  are  permitted  to 
assail  us ;  at  those  periods  in  the  spiritual  life 
when,  either  through  God's  direct  ordering,  or 
through  His  permission,  "  He  maketh  darkness 
that  it  may  be  night,  Avherein  all  the  beasts  of 
the  forest  do  move."  Every  form  of  trial,  great 
and  small ;  from  whatever  source  it  may  proceed, 
—  from  within  or  from  without,  from  God  or 
from  Satan,  from  those  ^vho  love  us  or  from  those 
who  hate  us  ;  caused  by  our  own  fault,  or  by  the 
fault  of  others ; — all  are  included  in  the  great 
word  "adversity."  It  is  in  that  light  that  we 
will  consider  this  passage. 

I  go  further.  I  would  include  all  that  weari- 
ness which,  slowly  but  surely,  as  the  months  roll 
by,  increases  upon  those  who  are  obliged  to  live 
much  in  what  is  comm.only  called  the  "  world." 
Apart  from  all  the  evil  of  the  world,  judging  no 
one,  assuming  that  everything  is  perfectly  inno- 
cent and  according  to  the  Mind  of  God, — and 
this  is  a  large  assumption,  —  still,  the  weariness 
does  increase.  The  mothers,  as  they  come  back 
from  watching  over  their  daughters,  night  after 
night,  in  society  ;  the  elder  girls,  who  are  not 


''''The  Chastening  of  the  Lord.'' ^  3 

yet  free  to  live  out  of  tlie  world,  and  yet  are 
wearying  of  it ;  those  who  are  not  weary  of  it, 
and  yet  find  it  utterly  unsatisfjdng : — all  are 
included  among  those  for  whom  the  teaching 
of  the  Church  in  "the  Visitation  of  the  Sick*' 
is  intended,  in  its  deeper  and  more  general 
application. 

Yes,  and  I  go  further  still.  I  believe  that  all 
those  tender  words  in  the  Bible  which  tell  us  how 
the  Lord  loves  all  who  are  in  trial  and  trouble, 
and  watches  over  them  with  a  care  beyond  that  of 
the  mother  watching  by  the  sick-bed  of  her  child, 
include  those  also  who  are  spiritually  in  a  transi- 
tion-state. They  include  those  who  are  blinded 
b}^  "the  god  of  this  world;"  hindered  in  their 
faith  through  the  power  of  this  present  evil 
world :  those  who  are  seeking  to  know  Gtod's 
Will,  but  who  as  yet  do  not  see  it  clearly,  and 
experience  continual  goadings  of  conscience  ;  such 
as  St.  Paul  felt,  before  his  definite  conversion, 
when  he  found  it  "hard  to  kick  against  the 
pricks."  In  those  strange  periods  of  mingled 
recklessness  and  utter  sadness  of  heart,  through 
which  so  many  in  every  age  have  passed,  there  is 
a  far  more  tender  Eye  than  any  human  eye 
watching  over  them ;  a  watchfid  Providence 
around  them,  and  above  them,  and  with  them,  at 
every  turn  of  the  daily  life  ;  speaking  to  them  in 
accents  unheard  save  by  the  inner  conscience,  in 
the  silent  chamber  of  the  soul. 

And  so,  in  the  words  that  I  have  to  speak  to 
you  to-day,  I  would  take  "  adversity  " — pain  and 
weakness  and  weariness  and  suffering — in  the 
%videst  and  most  comprehensive  sense. 


4  ^'The  Chastening  of  the  LordT 

"  Yo  have  forgotten  the  exliortation  which 
speaketh  unto  you."  The  Greek  -worcl  is  very- 
strong  ;  ye  have  comptctc.ln  forgotten !  It  must 
have  slipped  out  of  your  mind  altogether,  or  you 
woidd  not  be  so  upset  by  the  troubles  that  have 
come  vipon  you.  You  have  been  unmindful  of  the 
exhortation  that  speaketli  unto  you,  as  unto  sons. 

The  word  "  exhortation  "  (TrapaKXiiatwg)  is  a 
kindred  word  to  that  by  which  the  Office  of  the 
Blessed  Spirit  is  described ;  the  "  Paraclete."* 
You  have  forgotten  tlie  word  of  the  "  Comforter," 
— the  "Advocate,"  Who  is  summoned  to  your 
aid ;  Who  is  sent  by  God  to  strengthen  you,  to 
encourage  you,  to  cheer  you,  to  brace  you  up 
for  the  great  battle  against  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  Devil.  It  is  one  of  the  family  of  words 
so  often  found  in  the  Kew  Testament,  which 
mingle  the  idea  of  cheering,  comfort,  and  help, 
with  that  of  the  pouring  in  of  invigorating 
strength  and  force,  to  enable  us  to  quit  ourselves 
like  men. 

The  quotation  is  from  the  Old  Testament ; 
Proverbs  iii.  11,  12.  Here,  in  passing,  we  are 
reminded  how  those  Books  of  the  Bible  which 
seem,  to  many  who  pride  themselves  on  their 
spirituality,  the  least  "  profitable,"  are  used  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  are  found  to  contain  the 
germs  of  the  deeper  Gospel  teaching.  The  Book 
of  Proverbs ;  how  few  care  to  study  it !  Yet, 
from  one  chapter  in  that  book,  comfort  has  been 
draAvn  by  the  Blessed  Spirit  for  the  tried  and 
suffering  children  of  God,  in  every  age  and  every 
land.  "  Ye  have  forgotten  the  exhortation  which 
*  St.  Joliu  xiv.  IG,  2G. 


^^The  Chastening  of  the  Lord^  5 

speaketh  to  you  as  unto  cliildren  :  JSIij  son,  despise 
not  thou  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor  faint  when 
thou  avt  rehuked  of  Him." 

The  word  "  chastening  "  {-rrai^daq)  is  the  same 
word  as  that  which  is  translated  "nurture,"  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Ejahesians,  when  speaking  of 
bringing  up  children.*  It  relates  to  the  office  of 
a  father,  and  is  dravrn  from  a  word  that  in  the 
Greek  means  a  child,  or  son.  It  is  perhaps  best 
translated  by  the  word  "  education  ; "  fatherh' 
education,  "Whom  the  Lord  lovcth.  He  chas- 
teneth;"  i.e.,  disciplines,  educates  by  suffering. 

"  My  son,  despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of 
the  Lord."  Despise  it  not ;  that  is,  do  not  think 
little  of  it ;  do  not  take  it  as  a  matter  of  course. 
God  Himself  is  near  to  you,  in  the  trial.  "  It  is 
Goi/s  Visitation." 

"  l^or  faint,  when  thou  art  rebuked  of  Him." 
The  same  thought  is  brought  out  in  an  earlier 
verse  of  this  chapter.  "  Consider  Him  that  en- 
dured such  contradiction  of  sinners  against  Him- 
self, lest  ye  be  wearied  and  faint  in  your  minds." 

"  Faint  not,  when  thou  art  rehulccd  of  Him." 
The  literal  meaning  of  that  word  "  rebuked "  is 
— to  convince  or  to  convict  of  sin;  to  bring  things 
to  our  mind  that  would  not  have  been  brought  to 
our  mind,  if  we  had  been  allowed  to  go  on  re- 
joicing in  our  strength. 

"  For  whom  the  Lord  loveth.  He  chasteneth  ; 
and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  He  receiveth." 
The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  as  Man,  "learned 
obedience  by  the  things  which  He  suffered." f 

"  If  ye  endure  chastening,  God  dealeth  with 
■    *  Eph.  vi.  4.  t  Heb.  v.  8. 


6  ^''The  Chastening  of  the  Lovcir 

you  as  with  so)is."  lie  is  revealing  Himself  to 
you,  ill  a  fatherly  capacity ;  He  is  dealing-  with 
you  as  a  father  with  a  son. 

"  For  what  -^oii  is  there,  whom  his  father 
chasteneth  not?"  What  son  is  there,  who  is  not 
educated  by  his  father  with  a  parental  discipline 
sometimes  involving  disappointment,  or  pain,  or 
annoyance,  or  trouble  ?  Who  has  ever  passed 
through  the  discipline  of  home  life, — if  he  had 
a  "father"  worthy  of  the  name, —  without  often 
having  his  own  inclination  thwarted,  and  things 
said  to  him  at  times  that  were  disagreeable, — per- 
haps unintelligible?  The  father's  wisdom  and 
experience  could  not  all  at  once  be  taken  in,  by 
the  son.  He  had  need  of  faith  in  the  character 
of  the  father  ;  in  the  father's  wisdom,  and  in  the 
father's  love. 

Other  portions  of  Holy  Scripture  bring  out 
the  same  teaching  ;  for  instance,  1  St.  Peter  iv.  12  ; 
and  Eev.  iii.  19,  where  the  Loii])  Jesus  Christ 
speaks  in  His  ascended  glory.  "As  many  as  I 
love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten." 

Let  us  gather  a  few  thoughts,  in  conclusion. 
I.  We  do  not  know  ic/i//  the  trial  comes. 
I  We  do  not  know  why  we  are  allowed  to  be 
wasting  our  strength — as  it  apj^ears  to  us — on 
trifles  ;  why  we  are  allowed  to  suffer,  in  body, 
mind,  or  spirit ;  why  it  is  that  things  co^ne  to  us 
which  seem  really  to  weaken  our  powers  of  use- 
fulness, and  to  bring  no  good  results  to  us  or  to 
any-one  else.  We  do  not  know  "  for  what  cause  " 
the  trial  is  sent  to  us.  And  so  we  go  back  to  that 
teaching  of  the  Prayer-I3ook,  in  its  calm,  quiet. 


"  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord^  7 

sober,  solemn  utterance  of  the  mystery  of  life 
and  the  Wisdom  of  God.  "  Dearh'  beloved, 
know  this,  that  Almighty  God  is  the  Lord  of  life 
and  death,  and  of  all  things  to  them  pertaining : 
as  youth,  strength,  health ;  age,  weakness,  and 
sickness." 

Observe,  in  passing,  how  the  Prayer-Book 
does  not  fall  into  the  mistake  of  so  many  books, 
in  ascribing  to  God  only  trial  and  sorrow  and 
pain ;  ignoring  this  fact,  that  the  youth,  strength, 
and  health,  have  also  been  His  blessed  gifts, 

"  Therefore,  whatsoever  your  sickness  is," — 
whatsoever  your  adversity  may  be, — "  know  you 
certainly,  that  it  is  God's  Visitation."  Without 
God's  ordering,  it  could  never  have  come  to  you. 

And  then  the  Exhortation  proceeds:  "For 
what  cause  soever  this  sickness  is  sent  unto  you," 
&c.  This  is  the  point  on  which  I  desire  to  fix 
your  attention  ;  the  way  in  which  the  Praycr- 
Book  pronoimces  no  opinion,  as  to  the  " cause"  of 
the  trial.  It  does  not  intrude  into  God's  prc- 
vince.  It  does  not  attempt  to  decide  whether  wo 
are  in  the  condition  of  those  blinded  ones  in  the 
church  of  Laodicea,  who  needed  to  be  convinced 
of  sin  ;*  or  whether  we  are  in  the  position  of  the 
advanced  Christians  described  elsewhere,  who  re- 
joiced in  being  allowed — as  the  climax,  so  to 
speak,  of  their  spiritual  life — to  suffer  with 
Christ,  and  to  be  "made  conformable  to  His 
Death."! 

The  Prayer-Book  leaves  it  with  the  all-seeing 

•  Eev.  iii.  17. 

t  Rom.  Tiii.  17.  Phil.  i.  29,  30;  ii.  17,18;  iii.  10.  Col. 
i.  24.     ISt.  Peteri.  6;  iv.  13. 


8  "77i6;  Chastening  of  the  Lord r 

God.  He  alone  knows  tlic  "cause;"  He  alone 
knows  wliy  the  trial  is  sent.  It  may  be  "  to  try 
your  patience  for  the  example  of  others,  that  your 
faith  may  be  found,  in  the  Day  of  the  Lokd,  laud- 
able, glorious,  and  honourable  ;  to  the  increase  of. 
glory  and  endless  felicity."  Or  else,  it  may  be 
sent  unto  you  "  to  correct  and  amend  in  you 
whatsoever  doth  offend  the  eye  of  your  heavenly 
rATUEK."  God  alone  knows  u-hn  it  has  come. 
Your  enemies  may  think,  as  they  did  in  the  case 
of  David,  that  it  is  sent  as  a  punishment,  when  it 
is  really  a  reward,  for  devotion  of  heart  and  life. 
Or  your  friends  may  flatter  you,  and  think  that  it 
is  sent  because  you  arc  a  great  saint,  when  it  is 
really  sent,  in  order  to  burn  out  some  contemptible 
bit  of  dross  that  remained  in  your  soul. 

Or  it  may  be  simplj^  because  we  are  partakers 
of  a  fallen  humanity.  "We  know  that  the  whole 
Creation  groaneth  and.  travaileth  in  pain  together 
until  now.  And  not  only  they,  but  ourselves 
also,  who  have  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit,  even 
we  ourselves  groan  witliin  ourselves,  waiting  for 
the  adoption,  to  Avit,  the  redemption  of  our  body."* 
This  part  of  God's  great  Kingdom,  as  separated, 
from  the  A^orld  of  angels,  of  utifallen  sjoirits, — 
this  world,  which  is  stained  with  evil,  impreg- 
nated, with  sin, — the  whole  of  this  material  uni- 
verse— is  to  be  eventually  purified,  with  fire. 
Why  then,  as  the  Apostle  says,  should  we  wonder 
if  the  trial,  the  purifying,  the  testing,  begin  with 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Chkist?  Every  himian 
being,  from  the  mere  fact  of  his  humanity, — 
supposing  even  that  from  childhood  he  had  never 
•  Eom.  viu.  22,  2;]. 


"77ie  Chastening  of  the  Lordr  9 

done  anything  tliat  lie  knew  to  be  ■wrong,  must 
be  purified  and  made  ready  for  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  through  pain  of  some  sort ;  bodih%  mental, 
or  spiritual.  AVe  are  all  alike  partakers  of  the 
lot  of  a  fallen  humanity  ;  and  therefore  it  is  very 
important  that  we  should  know  how  to  deal  with 
trial,  when  it  comes  to  us. 

\         But   one   thing   is  certain,  the  Church  con- 
tinues :  "  Know  you  certainly,  that  if  you  truly 
]    repent,  and  bear  your  sickness  patiently,  trusting 
in  God's  Mercy,  for  His  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ's 
sake,  and  " — when  j'ou  are  able,  though  it  may 
not  be  possible,  at  first, — "  render  to  Him  humble 
thanks   for   His  Fatherly  Visitation,   submitting 
V  yourself  wholly  unto  His  Will,  it  shall  turn  to 
I  your  profit,  and  help  you  forward  in  tlie  right 
^  way  that  leadeth  unto  Everlasting  Life." 

Observe  the  wonderful  simplicity  of  this  Ex- 
hortation ;  the  reverent  attitude  of  the  Church,  at 
the  feet  of  God.  Like  the  wife,  who  does  not 
understand  all  that  her  husband  does,  and  yet 
believes  that  all  is  right ;  so  the  Church,  rising 
out  of  the  miserable  atmosphere  of  many  religious 
books,  speaks  of  God's  dealings  as  a  mystery. 
Submit  yourselves  wholly  unto  His  Will ;  leave 
it  to  God  to  tell  j^ou,  afterwards,  "  for  what 
cause  "  the  trial  has  come  ;  be  patient ;  repent ; 
believe ;  thank  God,  as  soon  as  the  power  to 
thank  Him  comes :  and  then,  "  it  shall  turn  to 
\  your  profit,  and  help  you  forward  in  the  right 
>  way  that  leadeth  unto  everlasting  life." 

11.  See  how  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 


10        '"''The  Chasteninff  of  the  Lord.'" 

brouglit  out  in  these  verses.  The  word  "ex- 
hortation," as  I  have  already  said,  is  one  of  a 
family  of  words  that  especially  belong  to  the 
HoT-Y  Spirit.  And  the  word,  "  rehuhed  of  Ilim," 
is  the  same  word  that  our  Lokd  used  when  He 
said  that  •when  the  Holy  Spirit  came,  He  should 
"convince  the  world  of  sin."  Trouble,  of  what- 
ever kind,  is  one  of  the  means  by  which  Gou 
reveals  Himself  to  us.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  be- 
ginning to  work  in  us,  when  in  any  way  we  arc 
being  taught  that  this  life  is  not  satisfying. 
Therefore,  it  is  a  very  solemn  time  in  our  lives, — 
this  "  Chastening  of  the  Lord."  "  Surely  the 
Lord  is  in  this  place." 

III.  The  whole  passage  takes  for  granted, 
and  pi-esscs  upon  us,  that  we  are  receiving  all 
this  education,  because  we  are  "sons;"  in  virtue 
of  our  adoption  into  the  Family  of  God.  Dwell 
on  those  words  :  "  Father,"—"  Son."  Say  to 
yourself :  "It  is  my  ' Father.'  It  is  as  a  '  son  ' 
that  He  is  dealing  with  me.  AVhatever  the  ob- 
ject of  the  trial  may  be, — whatever  evil  may  have 
been  found  in  myself  that  made  it  necessary, — 
however  tangled  may  be  the  web  of  my  life, — 
however  miable  I  may  be,  as  j'et,  clearly  to  per- 
ceive what  things  I  ought  to  do, — at  whatever 
point  in  the  spiritual  life  I  may  be, — still,  it  is  a 
*  Father '  who  is  dealing  with  me  now,  in  this 
trial.  Be  it  great  or  small,  knoAvn  to  the  world, 
or  hidden  from  every  hmnan  being,  it  is  a  Father 
dealing  with  a  son." 

lY.     Let  us,  in  conclusion,  be  very  watchful, 


"27ic  Ch<Mening  of  tlie  LordP         11 

to  avoid  the  twofold  danger  which  is  here  brought 
out  by  the  HoiA'  Spirit. 

1.  Lcsjmimj  the  chastening  of  the  Lord  ; 
thinking  too  little  of  the  trial;  ignoring  the 
Presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  while  we  are 
passing  through  it,  or  after  we  are  delivered 
from  it ;  —  for  perhaps  there  is  even  more 
danger  afterwards,  than  at  the  time,  with  some 
souls. 

2.  Fainting,  when  rebuked  by  Him  :  being- 
crushed  by  the  trial :  losing  heart  and  hope,  faith 
and  patience ;  becoming  discontented,  rebellious, 
melancholy,  miserable. 

" Deapisa  not  the  chastening  of  the  Lord!" 
How  often  we  see  persons  pass  through  every  kind 
of  trial,  illness,  bereavement,  broken  constitutions, 
bankruptcy,  everything,  and  yet  rise  up  again ! 
AYe  cannot  help  admiring  the  fortitude  and 
courage  with  which  the}'  rise  over  every  wave  of 
trial.  But  it  is  simply  natural  -power,  lifthig  the 
natural  man  ;  there  is  an  utter  ignoring  of  the 
inner  Presence  of  God  the  Holy  (tiiost.  "  The 
Chastening  of  the  Lord  "  is  not  recognized. 

And  yet,  believe  me,  nothing  "adverse"  that 
happens  to  us, — nothing  that  worries  or  disap- 
points us, — nothing  whicli  is  contrary  to  our 
wishes,  temporal  or  spiritual,  from  the  greatest 
temptation  down  to  the  tiniest  worry  of  daily  life, 
—  can  be  taken  out  of  the  category  of  God's 
fatherly  discipline.  The  great  God  is  laj'ing  His 
Hand  upon  us,  saying,  "  My  son,  this  is  not  thy 
home ;  this  transitory  life  can  never  satisfy  thy 
immortal  spirit,  which  I  have  created  for  Myself. 
Jjift  up  thine  eyes,  and  look  for  the  Coming  of 


12         "77^6'  Chastening  of  tlie  Lordy 

the  King,  Who  alone  can  restore  all  things,  and 
make  all  things  perfect." 

My  brother,  thy  Father  is  calling  for  thee. 
There  is  an  education  to  be  done  within  thy 
spirit,  in  that  sick  room,  or  in  that  worrj'ing 
outer  life.  Is  it  being  wrought  out  ?  "  The 
fruit  of  the  SriiiiT  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffer- 
ing, gentleness,"  &c.  Are  j^ou  becoming  more 
loving,  more  kind,  more  gentle,  as  the  Lokd  God 
dwells  more  with  you  and  touches  you,  in  this 
trouble  ?  Are  you  more  joyous  inwardly,  even 
while  the  outer  joys  seem  gone  for  ever  ?  Is 
there  more  of  the  joy  of  the  Holy  SriKiT  ?  Is 
there  more  peace  ?  Is  there  more  long-suffering 
with  others  ;  more  gentleness,  more  patience  with 
their  little  worrying  ways  ?  "  The  fruit  of  the 
Spirit," — are  you  bringing  it  forth  ? 

"  Despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the 
Lord." 


13 


IT. 


FEIDAY  EVENING,  JULY  3n(l,  ISSO. 


Hebrews  xii.  5,  6,  7. 

We  considered  last  time,  very  briefly,  the  first 
of  the  two  dangers  in  times  of  trial :  "Desjmc  not 
thou  the  chastening  of  the  Lord."  To-night,  we 
consider  the  second  danger :  "  Nor  faint,  when 
thou  art  rebuked  of  Him." 

The  word  "  rebuked"  is  the  same  that  is  used 
in  St.  John's  Gospel,  when  speaking  of  the  man 
who  hates  the  light,  and  hides  himself  from  God 
and  from  his  fellow-creatures,  ■  •  lest  his  deeds 
should  be  reproved;^'  i.e.,  revealed,  or  laid  bare. 
It  is  also,  as  we  saw  last  time,  the  word  used  by 
our  Blessed  Lord,  when  describing  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Si'irit.  "  He  will  reprove  the  world 
of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment."* 
It  conveys,  in  that  passage,  the  idea  of  so  re- 
buking another, — with  such  an  effectual  wielding 
of  the  victorious  weapons  of  the  Truth, — as  to 

*  St.  Jolmiii.  20;  xvi.  8. 


14         ^'TIls  Chastening  of  the  Lord.''^ 

Lring  him,  either  in  respect  of  sin  or  of  right- 
eousness or  of  judgment,  if  not  always  to  a 
confession,  yet  at  least  to  a  conviction,  of  his 
sin. 

So,  if  we  read  the  passage  before  us  in  the 
light  of  this  promise  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
it  would  seem  to  teach  us  that  we  are  not  to 
"faint"  when,  by  the  power  of  the  Blessed 
Spirit,  God  is  laying  hold  of  our  spirit ;  when 
He  is  bringing  home  to  us  our  sin,  and  the 
righteousness  of  our  God  and  Saviour  ;  when 
He  is  enabling  us,  by  any  sore  discipline,  by 
an)'  part  of  His  Fatherly  education,  to  balance 
aright  the  relative  proportion  of  things  temporal 
and  eternal.  We  are  not  to  faint,  when  God  is 
bringing  us,  in  fact,  to  see  ourselves, — not,  as 
we  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  our  hearts 
and  lives,  in  the  light  of  the  world  by  which 
we  are  outwardly  surrounded,  but  in  the  light 
of  the  world  unseen. 

And  what  a  true  description,  my  brethren, 
is  sketched  out  for  us  by  this  word  "  rebuke," — 
reprove,  convince,  reveal  I  How  different  our 
past  life  appears,  when  we  are  thus  "  rebuked 
of  Him  ! "  How  differently  we  judge  ourselves  ! 
How  differently  we  estimate  the  opinion  of  the 
"  world  ;"  whether  it  be  that  of  the  outer  world, 
or  of  the  little  coterie  of  the  inner  and  more 
spiritual  society  whose  opinion  we  value !  The 
world,  Avith  its  wealth,  secular  or  spiritual ;  its 
prizes,  whether  of  the  market-place  or  of  the 
sanctuar}' ;  how  small  do  they  appear !  And 
all  that  is  of  God  and  Heaven,  how  infinitely 
sreat ! 


^''The  Chastening  of  the  Lord.''''         15 

I.  It  is  a  very  solemn  time.  It  is  none  other 
than  the  house  of  God,  the  gate  of  Heaven.  The 
immediate  Presence  of  God,  in  itself,  is  always 
overpowering.  You  may  remember  how  the 
Bishops  of  the  Church  in  South  Africa  tell  us 
that  when  new  converts  are  taught  Sacramental 
Truth,  it  is  sometimes  more  than  they  are  able 
to  bear ;  that  positive  phj-sical  depression  and 
bodily  weakness  ensue,  as  the  result  of  the 
overpowering  weight  of  the  Presence  of  God, 
suddenly  revealed. 

II.  It  is  a  very  trying  time,  in  whatever  form 
the  "  rebuke "  may  come.  I  am  not  speaking 
merely  of  bodily  sickness.  It  is  a  very  trying 
time,  when  we  see  "  failure "  written  upon  our 
work,  our  prayers,  our  life  ;  and  know  that  the 
life  is  quickly  slipping  away  from  under  us, 
however  strong  and  vrell  we  may  feel ;  that  the 
years  are  few,  and  the  ground  which  has  to  be 
covered,  very  large.  It  is  a  trying  time,  to  be 
bankrupt :  whether  of  money,  or  health,  or 
popularity ;  or,  still  worse,  of  spiritual  wealth, — 
conscious  nearness  to  God,  and  the  like. 

It  is  a  trying  time ;  and  therefore  the  Holy 
Spirit,  Who  dwelleth  in  us  and  knoweth  whereof 
we  are  made,  bids  us  here,  by  the  voice  of  the 
Apostle,  not  to  "  faint "  when  we  are  rebuked 
of  God. 

That  word  "faint "  is  suggestive.  It  is  the 
same  word  that  we  find  in  St.  Matthew  ix.  36. 
"  "SYhen  He  saw  the  multitudes,  He  was  moved 
with  compassion  on  them,  because  they  fainted, 
and  were  scattered  abroad,  as  sheep  having  no 


16        "  The  Chastening  of  the  Lonir 

slieplierd."  And  then  came  that  mysterious 
command ;  instead  of  "what,  as  it  appears  to  us, 
"would  have  been  such  an  easy  exercise  of  power 
for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  !  Instead  of  suppl}-- 
ing  every  need  Himself,  He  said  to  His  disciples  : 
"  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that 
He  will  send  forth  labourers  into  His  harvest." 
In  other  Avords :  "  My  Father  is  waiting  and 
working,  and  I  am  working  and  Avaiting.  "VVe 
only  need  fellow- workers,  Avhom  We  can  fill  with 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  heal  every 
disease,  to  undo  every  evil  Avhich  Satan  has 
wrought  in  this  Avorld  that  he  has  enthralled," 

In  the  eighth  chapter  of  St.  Mark,  we  find 
the  word  again ;  in  that  wonderful  picture  of  the 
Compassion  of  Jesus,  and  of  His  tender,  minute 
knowledge  of  all  the  details  about  that  great 
croAvd.  "  They  have  been  Avith  Me  three  days." 
How  accurate  Avas  the  diary  ! — They  have  "no- 
thing to  eat."  HoAV  He  had  watched  them!  — 
"If  I  send  them  aAA^ay  fasting  to  their  OAvn 
houses,  they  Avill  faint  by  the  Avay  ;  for  divers 
of  them  came  from  far."  And  then  came  those 
Avords, — the  s}Tnbol  of  life  in  every  age  and 
every  land,  aj)art  from  the  Presence  of  the 
Blessed  Spirit  revealing  the  Lord  Jesus, — 
"  Whence  can  a  man  satisfy  these  men  with 
bread  here  in  the  wilderness?"  The  echo  comes 
back  from  that  hoUoAV  shore  and  that  dreary 
sandy  desert:  "Whence?" 

The  same  A\'ord  comes  again  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Galatians;  leading  us  on  to  the  next 
thought.  The  Apostle  is  evidently  afraid  of  the 
effect  of  all  this  discipline  of  God  ;  so  he  warns 


^'"The  Chastening  of  the  Lorcir         17 

tliem,  saying :  "  Let  us  not  be  weary  in  well- 
doing, for  in  due  season  we  shall  reap,  //'  uc 
faint  not."  He  knew  that  it  was  a  trying  time, 
as  well  as  a  solemn  time. 

Those  words  of  the  Psalmist  are  true,  at  such 
a  time :  "  Thy  Hand  is  heavy  upon  me,  day  and 
night.  Thine  arrows  stick  fast  in  me."  How 
wonderful,  that  a  man,  filled  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
thousands  of  years  ago,  in  that  little  land  of 
Palestine,  should  write  words  that  express  the 
needs  and  the  aspirations  of  humanity,  in  this 
nineteenth  century !  We  could  not  have  any- 
thing that  more  simply  describes  what  hundreds 
of  Christians  are  feeling,  to-night.  "  Thine 
arrows  stick  fast  in  me;  and  Thy  Hand  presseth 
me  sore.  I  am  feeble,  and  sore  smitten ;  my 
heart  panteth ;  my  strength  hath  failed  me." 
"  When  Thou  with  rebukes  " — whatever  form 
they  may  take — "  dost  chasten  man  for  sin. 
Thou  makest  his  beauty  to  consume  away,  like 
as  it  were  a  moth  fretting  a  garment."* 

It  is  a  trying  time.  The  prophets,  such  as 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  found  it  so.  Their  pro- 
phecies are  full  of  it.  Elijah  found  it  so.  "  He 
went  a  day's  journey  into  the  wilderness,  and 
came  and  sat  down  under  a  juniper  tree ;  and  he 
requested  for  himself  that  he  might  die ;  and 
said.  It  is  enough  ;  now,  0  Lord,  take  avray  my 
life,  for  I  am  not  better  than  my  fathers."! 
All  the  servants  of  God, —  all  the  company  of 
the  prophets, —  all  the  saints  and  martyrs  and 
confessors, — all  start  with  the  idea  that  by  the 

*  Ps.  xxxii.  4  ;  xxxviii.  2,  8,  10;  xxxix.  12. 
t  1  Kings  xix.  4.  • 

C 


18        "TAe  Chastening  of  the  Lord^ 

power  of  God  tliey  will  conquer  the  world.  And 
then,  in  the  dark  times  when  their  own  nothing- 
ness is  revealed,  and  God  is  rebuking  them,  the 
miserable,  heart- crushing  thought  takes  posses- 
sion of  their  inmost  being :  "  It  is  no  use ; 
others  in  preceding  ages  have  tried  and  failed ; 
I  am  not  better  than  my  fathei's." 

And  that  is  what  our  Blessed  LoiiD  Himself 
felt,  over  and  over  again,  in  the  verity  of  His 
Human  Nature.  He  felt  the  trial  of  long- 
continued  trouble  and  depression,  long- continued 
assaults  from  the  world  without",  and  the  weak- 
ness of  His  owai  Human  Nature  within.  Jesus 
was  "  weary "  many  a  time,  besides  the  hour 
that  was  spent  with  the  poor  Avoman  of  Samaria. 
Many  a  time  besides  that  night  in  Gethsemane, 
we  doubt  not,  He  was  "  sorrowful  and  very 
heavy,"  Long,  lonely  nights  they  must  have 
been,  on  that  cold  hill-side  of  Olivet ;  long 
weary  hours,  when  all  His  tender  pleading 
had  only  ended,  apparently,  in  injuring  the 
cause  of  His  Father,  and  irritating  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  into  yet  more  deadly  opposition. 
Often,  wearied  in  spirit  and  mind,  as  well  as 
in  body,  must  Jesus  have  been  "sorrowful;" 
"  tasting  death  ;" — tasting  the  bitterness  of  every 
form  of  death,  in  order  that  He  might  be  able  to 
guide  His  Church  in  all  her  mapifold  difficulties, 
temptations,  and  adversities,  "  unto  the  end  of 
the  world." 

III.  It  is  a  very  dangerous  time.  There  is 
great  danger  of  losing  heart,  especially  when  the 
trial  is  of  a  spiritual  kind  ;  when  temptation  and 


"  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord^         1 9 

;sin  are  so  subtly  intertwined,  that  we  find  it 
impossible  to  disentangle  the  one  from  the  other ; 
^vhen  we  are  not  able  to  see  clearly  whether 
God  is  correcting  us  in  order  to  bring  some 
wickedness  to  our  remembrance,  or  whether  He 
is  allowing  us  to  be  partakers  of  the  Sufferings 
•of  Jesus  Christ. 

Part  of  our  probation  here  is  this: — never 
being  perfectly  certain  that  in  any  particular 
■case  we  have  formed  a  right  judgment ;  and  yet 
certain  that,  in  the  main,  God  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  guide  us  rightly  through  life.  But  this  is 
more  easy  to  speak  about,  than  to  realize  in  the 
darker  times  of  life.  The  well-springs  seem 
dried  up,  and  God  seems  far  away ;  and  words 
singularly  like  those  in  the  history  of  Job,  come 
forth  from  our  hearts,  if  not  from  our  lips : 
""  Curse  God  and  die."  Amalek  smites  us  when 
we  are  "  faint  and  weary,"  as  he  smote  Israel 
of  old."* 

It  was  a  dangerous  time  for  King  David, 
when  Shimei  began  to  curse  him,  and  the  royal 
heart,  as  we  read,  was  "  weary,  "f  There  is  a 
great  danger  of  falling  away  from  our  stedfast- 
ness ;  of  giving  it  all  up  ;  of  beginning  to  mur- 
mur, and  becoming  discontented  and  rebellious. 
Thus  the  children  of  Israel  fell  in  the  wilderness, 
and  were  destroyed  of  the  destroyer.  And  the 
entire  history  of  the  Hebrews  under  the  New 
Covenant,  to  whom  this  Epistle  was  first  ad- 
dressed, is  a  warning  against  the  danger  that 
attends  us  when  the  Hand  of  God  is  upon  us. 
■"  Faint  not,  when  thou  art  rebuked  of  Him." 
*  Job  ii.  9.    Deut.  xxv.  17, 18.         f  2  Sam.  xvi.  o— 8. 


20         "  The  Cha.stamuj  of  the  Lonir 

ISToAV,  very  briefly,  let  mo  suggest  some 
remedies. 

I  Avill  not  repeat  wliat  lias  been  so  often 
taugbt  here  :  the  obvious  belps ;  the  power  of 
tlie  Blood  of  Christ,  slied  for  us  on  Calvar}-, 
as  a  Aveapon  against  Satan ;  of  Bible  promises 
and  texts ;  of  acts  of  intercession  and  of  praise : 
tlie  peculiar  strength  and  blessing,  at  such  times, 
of  frequent  Holy  Commvinio]i ;  thoughts  of  the 
use  that  Ave  may  be  to  others  afterwards,  through 
the  suffering,  when  we  have  been  proved  in  the 
fire  of  trial, — when  we  shall  be  able  to  say  to 
those  who  are  in  any  trouble,  "  I  have  felt  it ;" 
not  merely,  "  I  know  it,  and  have  heard  of  it, 
and  read  about  it."*  I  do  not  repeat  all  the 
teaching  which  has  been  already  printed  in  our 
Bible-Class  Notes  and  elsewhere,  on  "  Hope," 
on  "  the  Communion  of  Saints,"  on  "  the  Power 
of  Weakness,"  and  "the  Bower  of  Suffering." 

"VVitliout  dwelling  on  all  this,  briefly  let  me 
suggest  some  helps  to  you,  for  your  own  con- 
sideration ;  only  premising,  that  there  are  times 
when  nothing  helps,  however  helpful  at  other 
times. 

First,  mere  natural  remedies.  If  you  study 
1  Kings  xix.,  you  will  observe  liow  God,  Who 
made  the  body,  recognizes  the  body,  in  a  way 
that  "  sj^iritiial "  people  are  very  mucli  inclined 
to  forget.  Gon  never  despises  the  body ;  Ho 
provided  food  for  Elijah.  And  so,  verv  often, 
proper  food,  suspension  of  habits  of  fasting,  for 
a  time ;  more  rest,  more  sleej),  a  day's  holiday, 
a  few  days  out  of  London,  less  work,  less  inter- 
*  See  2  Cor.  i.  4— G. 


"  J/ic  Chastening  of  the  Lord  J'         21 

cession,  less  of  tlie  harder  parts  of  tlie  devotional 
life, — these  are  remedies  ;  in  other  ^vords,  recog- 
nizing the  hodf/. 

Then,  to  some  persons,  "  Xature  "  is  helpful ; 
Xature,  as  seen  in  the  country,  or  in  the  squares 
and  parks  of  London ;  or  Nature,  as  reproduced 
by  those  whom  God  has  made  skilful  artists,  and 
the  like.  Nature  was  one  of  the  means  that  God 
iised,  in  dealing  with  Elijah.  You  remember 
the  great  and  strong  wind  and  the  earthquake, 
preparing  the  way  for  the  still  small  Voice. 
"  Consider  the  lilies,"  our  Lord  says ;  consider 
God's  handiwork.  Wonderful  is  the  power  upon 
our  spirit,  sometimes,  of  clouds,  and  trees,  and 
flowers.  They  are  as  music  played  bj'  an  imseen 
and  very  tender  hand,  upon  the  immortal  spirit 
of  man.  When  the  music  sounds  within,  the 
evil  spirit  departs,  and  the  calm  of  rest  comes. 
Thank  God  for  it.  Thank  Ilim,  the  true  Da^id, 
who  charms  away  many  a  spirit  of  evil  by  those 
secondary  means  which  in  His  Providence  He 
has  provided. 

These  natural  helps  and  remedies  are  invalu- 
able, provided  that  they  are  not  used  apart  from 
Christ.  The  mistake  made,  in  much  of  the 
common  literature  of  the  day,  is  the  idea  that 
any  natural  helps  or  remedies  will  have  a  real 
permanent  effect  in  relieving  trouble  and  de- 
pression, in  themselves.  They  are  only  useful, 
permanently,  when  employed  by  one  who  is 
recognizing  his  position  in  Christ,  and  receiving 
them  as  gifts  from  the  Father  in  Christ  Jesus, 
to  Whom  his  trouble  has  been  told  in  Praver. 


99 


III. 


FRIDAY  EVENING,  9th  JULY,  ISSO. 


Hebhews  XII.  o,  G,  7. 

In  considering  this  passage,  we  are  not  taking- 
into  account,  as  yet,  the  peculiar  personal  power 
of  Satan,  apparently  allowed  b}'  God,  in  causing 
suffering.  We  are  not  considering  the  difficult 
question  as  to  the  connection  between  sin  and 
suffering  ;  not  because  Ave  ignore  it,  but  because 
it  is  not  the  subject  with  which  we  are  dealing 
at  present.  "\Ve  have  not  touched  upon  those 
seasons  of  trial,  so  terrible  to  endure,  in  whick 
no  remedy  seems  to  avail  at  all. 

We  began,  last  time,  to  consider  some  helps 
and  remedies,  natural  and  super-natural,  at  those 
periods  when  there  is  a  danger  of  "fainting;"" 
when  life  seems  hardly  worth  the  living. 

For  reasons  that  lie  does  not  always  explain 
to  us,  God  sees  it  necessary  that  we  should  pass 
through  certain  adversities  or  perplexities  of 
different    kinds  ;      but    during    that    period    o£ 


^''Tlie  Cliasteninrj  of  the  LordT         23 

temptation  and  purification,  He  lias  provided 
for  us  manifold  reliefs,  which  are  often  over- 
looked because  they  are  so  common-place. 

The  first  sugg-estion — as  to  the  helps  pro- 
vided for  us  in  Nature,  etc.,  was  based  upon  the 
thought  that  God  made  the  \)Q^\. 

The  second  is  based  upon  the  thought  that 
God  made  the  soul.  To-day,  we  are  to  consider 
the  helps  which  come  to  us  through  the  "  soul," 
in  the  two-fold  division  of  Heart  and  Mind. 

I.  God  has  given  us  a  Heart,  with  various 
affections  and  emotions  :  and  God  has  provided 
for  us  means  of  deliverance,  in  acts  of  kindness 
to  others,  in  works  of  mercy,  in  the  society  of 
little  children,  and  so  forth,  when  there  is  danger 
of  fainting  under  the  heavy  Hand  of  God. 

II.  The  same  God  who  made  the  Heart  made 
the  Mind  also ;  and  study,  mental  study,  whether 
of  a  secular  or  Biblical  kind,  is  very  helpful. 

1.  Secular  study.  Those  who  are  living  the 
"separate"  life, — in  Sisterhoods  and  so  forth, 
should  try  to  keep  up  any  intellectual  power 
that  God  may  have  given  them ;  some  one 
accomplishment,  if  possible.  Young  girls  should 
be  sheltered,  after  they  leave  the  school-room, 
from  the  distracting  influences  of  London,  and 
form  habits  of  mental  study.  For  in  after-life 
there  come  periods, — lasting  often  for  long,  even 
for  years, —  when  nothing  is  so  efficacious  as  hard 
mental  effort ;  the  bringing  of  another  part  of 
our  being,  different  from  the  feelings,  different 
from  the  more  spiritual  part  of  our  humanity, 
to  bear  upon  something  that  requires  real  mental 


24        '"''The  Chastening  of  the  Lord. ^^ 

effort;  some  work,  whether  intellectual  or  prac- 
tical, that  takes  our  thoughts  away  from  the 
subject  on  which  they  have  been  dwelling. 
Many  who  have  passed  through  periods  of 
sorrow  will  tell  3'ou  how  often  this  has  been 
a  help  to  them. 

2.  Biblical  study ;  real  hard  head-work  at  the 
Bible ;  not  merely  spiritual  meditation.  Those 
who  know  the  Greek  will  study  their  Xew 
Testament  in  the  original.  Others  could  take 
a  special  subject,  such  as  the  gradual  education 
of  the  human  race,  or  the  gradual  development 
of  any  character,  and  trace  it  throughout  the 
Bible.  Or  try  to  master  one  of  the  Epistles  of 
St.  Paul.  Try  to  have  a  clear  grasja  of  the  facts, 
in  your  mind  ;  why  he  wrote  it ;  when  he  wrote 
it ;  for  whom  he  wrote  it ;  where  he  diverged 
from  the  main  object  of  the  letter ;  what  special 
truth  is  contained  in  that  parenthesis ;  whether 
there  is  a  subtle  link,  that  the  superficial  student 
would  have  failed  to  sec,  between  the  parenthesis 
and  the  main  current  of  the  argument.  The 
analysis  of  some  of  the  Epistles,  such  as  that  to 
the  Ephesians,  is  real  and  hard  head-work ;  and 
there  is  nothing  that  balances  the  depression  to 
which  certain  temperaments  are  always  exposed, 
or  wliich  comes  to  certain  persons  at  periods  of 
great  outward  adversities,  more  than  such  stud}^ 
as  this. 

And  now,  passing  on  from  body  and  soul  to 
spirit,  we  will  consider  the  more  directly  sjyiritual 
helps. 

1.  And  here,  first,  I  will  mention  the  use  of 


"  J/ic  Chastening  of  the  LordT         25 

the  Psalms  :  to  say  the  Psalms  aloud  ;  putting, 
if  we  like,  "I"  for  "we;"  "me"  for  "us;" 
substituting  "Satan"  for  the  "foes"  that  assailed 
the  Psalmist.  It  is  useful  to  keep  a  list  of 
Psalms  for  certain  emergencies,  and  to  go  to 
them  as  a  matter  of  course ;  changing  them 
from  time  to  time,  that  wo  may  not  become 
formal. 

To  us,  living  under  the  Christian  Covenant, 
God  has  been  pleased,  on  account  of  the  reve- 
lation of  the  Atonement  of  Jesus  Christ,  to 
give  a  deeper  knowledge  of  our  OAvn  guilt  and 
imAvorthiness  than  was  vouchsafed,  or  would  have 
been  safe,  in  the  Old  Testament.  AYe  should, 
therefore.,  do  well,  I  think,  in  choosing  the 
Psalms,  to  avoid  those  in  which  there  is  any 
appearance  of  self -justification.  Job  began  in 
that  spirit ;  but  no  peace  came  to  him,  till  he 
had  abhorred  himself  in  dust  and  ashes.  And 
it  is  very  seldom,  T  think,  that  self -justification 
brings  to  us,  living  under  the  Gospel  Covenant, 
much  rest. 

I  have  put  down  four  Psalms,  merely  taken 
in  order,  as  illustrations :  Psalms  xiii. ;  xvii. 
C — 9  ;  xxii.  ;  xxv.  What,  for  example,  really 
would  help  many,  in  all  the  varieties  of  the  life 
of  suffering,  so  \vell  as  this  13th  Psalm  ?  "  How 
long  wilt  Thou  forget  me,  0  Lord  ?  How  long 
wilt  Thou  hide  Thy  face  from  me  ?  How  long- 
shall  I  seek  counsel  in  my  soul,  and  be  so  vexed 
in  my  heart?"  How  wonderful  it  is,  that  a 
man,  thousands  of  years  ago,  should  anticipate 
the  very  difficulties  that  we  have  !  How  often 
we  have  wasted  wcchs  in  seeking  counsel  in  our 


26        ^^Tlie  Chastenhifj  of  tlie  Lorcir 

own  soul,  and  been  vexed  in  our  heart,  with 
talking  to  oiirselres  ! 

"  How  long  shall  mine  enemies  triumph  over 
me  ?  Consider,  and  hear  me,  O  Lord  my  God. 
Lighten  mine  eyes,,  that  I  sleep  not  in  death;"' 
the  second  death,  the  spiritual  death,  the  death 
of  all  the  fair  flowers  of  hope  and  heavenward 
aspiration  and  joyous  service  and  thankfvd  sur- 
render. 

"  Lest  my  enemy  say,  I  have  prevailed  against 
him  ;  for  if  I  be  cast  down,  they  that  trouble 
me  " — the  principalities  and  powers  of  the  Evil 
One — "  will  rejoice  at  it.  But  my  trust  is  in 
Thy  mercy,  and  my  heart  is  joyful  in  Thy 
salvation." 

The  general  characteristic  of  the  Psalms  is, 
that  however  depressing  the  commencement,  they 
end  with  praise  and  thanksgiving.  The  Holy 
Spirit  seems  gradually  to  raise  up  the  heart, 
like  the  accompaniment  of  some  beautiful  in- 
strumental music,  so  that  the  Psalmist  almost 
invariably  ends  by  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

2.  Another  great  help  is  the  use  of  the 
Service  for  the  "Visitation  of  the  Sick;"  in 
its  widest  application,  as  I  explained  at  the 
beginning. 

What  better  prayer  can  you  have  than  this ; 
altering  the  words,  for  your  own  use,  as  you  go 
on?  "  O  Lord,  save  me  Thy  servant ;  I  put  my 
trust  in  Thee.  Let  the  enemy  have  no  advantage 
of  me ;  nor  the  Spirit  of  evil  apjiroach  to  hurt 
me.  Be  to  me,  0  Lord,  a  strong  tower  from  the 
face  of  my  enemy.  0  Lord,  hear  my  prayer : 
let  my  cry  come  imto  Thee." 


^'•TJie  ChasteniiKj  of  the  Lordr         27 

And  tlien,  hoAv  appropriate,  to  use  in  the- 
same  way,  is  the  Psalm  which  comes  in  the- 
"Visitation  of  the  Sick!"  "In  Thee,  0  Lord, 
I  put  my  trust ;  let  me  never  be  put  to  con- 
fusion ;  rid  me  and  deliver  me  in  Thy  righteous- 
ness ;  incline  Thine  ear  unto  me,  and  save  me. 
Be  Thou  my  strong-hold,  whereunto  I  ma^ 
alway  resort.  Thou  hast  lironmcd  to  help  me  ! 
Through  Thee  have  I  been  holden  up,  ever 
since  I  was  born ;  Thou  art  He  that  took  me- 
out  of  my  mother's  womb;"  appealing  to  God- 
as  a  Creator.  "  I  am  become  as  it  were  a. 
monster  unto  many  :  but  my  sure  trust  is  in 
Thee.  Forsake  me  not  when  my  strength  faileth. 
me  !  For  mine  enemies  speak  against  me," — 
the  spirits  of  evil,  who  long  for  my  destruction  ; 
"  they  that  lay  wait  for  my  soul  take  their 
counsel  together,  saying,  God  hath  forsaken  him  ; 
persecute  him.  and  take  him,  for  there  is  none- 
to  deliver  him." 

Perhaps  Ave  have  had  a  long  time  of  spiritual 
darkness  ;  and  then,  there  has  come  some  out- 
ward difficulty ;  and  our  Avork  has  been  too 
much  for  us ;  and  then,  perhaps,  some-one  has. 
misunderstood  us,  and  treated  us  unfairly.  How, 
at  such  times,  we  almost  nee  the  spirits  of  evil 
all  around,  taking  counsel  and  saying,  "  It  was- 
all  a  delusion  ;  after  all,  he  Avas  not  the  son  of 
God  ;  God  has  forsaken  him ;  persecute  him,, 
and  take  him  ;  there  is  none  to  deliver  him !  ^* 
Each  word  is  A^ery  wonderful. 

And  then  that  Blessing, — "  The  Almightj^ 
Lord,  Who  is  a  most  strong  Tower  to  all  them 
that  put  their  trust  in  Him,"  &c., — is  A'ery  useful. 


28        "  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord. ' ' 

turned  into  a  prayer.  It  seems  to  brace  the 
spirit,  even  while  yon  say  the  words  aloud.  "  O 
Almighty  Lord,  Who  art  a  most  strong  tower 
to  all  that  put  their  trust  in  Thee,  to  Whom  all 
things  in  heaven,  in  earth,  and  under  the  earth, 
do  bow  and  obey,  be  now  and  evermore  mi/ 
defence.  Unto  Thy  gracious  Mercy  I  commit 
inijHeJf;  0  Lord,  bless  ine  and  keep  )iie ;  lift  uj) 
the  light  of  Thy  Countenance  upon  me,  and  give 
me  peace!"  And  so  with  all  the  Collects  at  the 
end  of  the  Service.  Take  such  a  passage  as  this  ; 
from  the  "  Prayer  for  persons  troubled  in  mind 
or  in  conscience."  "  0  merciful  Go]),  give  me 
a  right  understanding  of  myself,  and  of  Thy 
threats  and  promises  ;  that  I  may  neither  cast 
away  my  confidence  in  Thee,  nor  place  it  any- 
where but  in  Thee.  Give  me  strength  against 
all  my  temptations ;  heal  all  my  distempers ; 
break  not  the  bruised  reed ;  quench  not  the 
smoking .  flax ;  make  me  to  hear  of  joy  and 
gladness,  and  give  me  peace,  through  the 
merits  and  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ  my 
Lord." 

Or  what  more  perfect  sermon  could  there  be, 
to  read  aloud  to  yourself,  than  this,  from  the 
*'  Exhortation  "  in  that  Service  ?  "  There  should 
be  no  greater  comfort,  to  mc,  than  to  be  made 
like  unto  Christ,  by  suffering  patiently  adver- 
sities, troubles,  and  sicknesses.  For  He  Himself 
went  not  up  to  jo}^  but  first  He  suffered  pain ; 
He  entered  not  into  His  glor}^  before  He 
w^as  crucified.  So  truly  my  waj'  to  eternal 
jo}^  is  to  suffer  here  with  Christ  ;  and  my 
door    to    enter   into    eternal    life    is    gladly    to 


^'The  Chastening  of  ihe  Lonir         29 

die  with  Christ;  that  I  may  rise  again  from 
death,  and  dwell  Avith  Ilim  in  Everlasting 
Life." 

3.  The  third  help  which  I  will  mention  is 
the  spivltnal  studi/  of  the  Bible.  The  intellectual 
method  of  study,  already  named,  implies  of  course 
the  use  of  a  siDiritualized  intellect,  beginning  the 
study  with  prayer  to  God  for  His  help.  But  in 
this  spiritual  study,  we  must  more  directly  seek 
His  help  for  our  spirit,  that  highest  part  of  our 
being,  which  communes  with  God,  and  which  is 
directly  operated  upon  by  God  the  Holy  Ghost, 
in  a  more  special  manner  than  the  other  parts 
of  our  being. 

On  looking  into  the  Bible,  in  this  spiritual 
way,  and  finding  what  sort  of  feelings  the 
Apostles  had,  and  what  was  the  experience  of 
Jesus  Christ  Himself,  there  is  a  direct  action 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  our  spirit.  There 
grow  up  within  us  thoughts  like  those  which 
the  Blessed  Spirit  brought  out  for  the  strength- 
ening of  the  early  Church,  in  passages  like 
these :  "  Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concern- 
ing the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try  you," — or 
which  is  now  trying  you, — "  as  though  some 
strange  thing  happened  imto  you ;  but  rejoice, 
inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's 
Sufferings."*  It  is  evident  that  St.  Peter  often 
used  these  thoughts  to  strengthen  his  own  spirit, 
in  his  daily  martyrdom.  Again,  in  the  next 
chapter,  we  read :  "  Knowing  that  the  same 
afflictions  are  accomplished  in  your  brethren 
that  are  in  the  world;"  or,  as  it  is  in  the 
*  1  St.  Peter  iv.  12. 


50        "77/6  Chastening  of  the  Lord.^^ 

Orcek,  "  the  hyofJicrJtood  "  that  is  in  the  world  ; 
your  brotherhood.* 

As  we  look  into  the  inner  feelings  of  the 
Apostles,  we  find  that  St.  Paul's  experience  is 
the  universal  testimony  of  the  "  brotherhood " 
•of  God's  children.  "  Troubled  on  every  side, 
perplexed,  persecuted,  cast  down ;  always  bear- 
ing about  in  the  body  the  djdng  of  the  Lord 
•Jesus."  These  are  very  strong  words,  as  you 
will  see  if  you  think  what  "  the  dying  of  the 
ioRD  Jesus  "  was ;  but  the  words  were  inspired 
by  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  again :  "  We 
■are  always  delivered  unto  death,"  day  by  day 
being  given  up  to  death,  "foi*  Jesus'  sake. — 
Death  worketh  in  us. — The  outward  man  pe- 
Tisheth. — We  gToan,  being  burdened;"  weighed 
down;  "in  aiflictions,  in  necessities,  in  dis- 
tresses; chastened,  sorrowful,  poor;"  and  seem- 
ing to  have  "nothing" — of  earthly  or  spiritual 
good — to  offer  to  our  GoD.f 

Or  again :  take  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  There,  we  read  of 
the  noble  army  of  Old  Testament  martyrs,  and 
their  sufferings ;  mockings,  scourgings,  bonds, 
imprisonments  ;  stoned,  sawn  asimder,  tempted, 
^lain  with  the  sword ;  destitute,  afflicted,  tor- 
mented. 

So,  as  we  perceive  that  we  belong  to  a  world 
that  in  some  strange  way  is  altogether  "  oiit  of 
•course,"  a  world  wherein  evil  Avorks  and  Satan 
Teigns,  there  arises  within  us  something  of 
the  spirit  of   "brotherhood;"   we  gain   courage 

*  1  St.  Teter  v.  9. 

t  2  Oor.  iv.  8—12,  IG;  v.  4;  vi.  4,  9,  10. 


"  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord^         31 

to  take  that  which  is  part  of  the  lot  of  our 
brethren,  who  have  been  baptized  into  the  same 
Army,  and  made  members  of  the  same  Family 
of  God. 

And  then,  we  rise  to  look  at  the  Repre- 
sentative of  this  great  Army ;  at  Him  Who  was 
perfect,  without  spot  or  stain  of  sin ;  and  that 
simple  quaint  old  sermon  in  the  "  Visitation  of 
the  Sick'*'  reminds  us  what  Hi^  Life  was;  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  brings  back  to  us  the  text  at 
the  beginning  of  this  chapter :  "  Consider  Him, 
lest  ye  be  wearied  and  faint  in  your  minds." 
^Nothing  really  helps  us  like  considering  Him. 
If  He  bore  this, — and  He  bore  all  that  you  have 
to  bear, — if  He  felt  this, — and  He  felt  all  that 
you  have  to  feel, — if  God  allowed  His  own  Sox 
to  be  scourged, — what  son  is  there  whom  the 
Fatheii  scourgeth  not  ? 

I  leave  with  you  two  passages  that  bring 
out,  in  the  inspired  language  of  the  Bible,  this 
third  and  last  head. 

Hebrews  ii.  17,  18.  "^Yherefore  it  behoved 
Him  in  all  things  to  be  made  like  unto  His 
brethren,  that  He  might  be " — or,  as  it  is  in 
the  Greek,  that  He  might,  as  man,  become — "a 
mercifid  and  faithful  High  Priest,  in  things 
pertaining  to  God. — For  in  that  He  Himself 
hath  suffered,  being  tempted,  He  is  able  to 
succour  them  that  are  tempted."  Through  the 
knowledge  that  He  gained  in  His  own  times 
of  darkness  and  trial  and  adversity,  He  is 
able  to  help  those  who  are  in  any  kind  of 
trouble,    sorrow,    need,    sickness,    or   any   other 


32         "  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord:' 

adversity ;  as  well  as  to  represent  thein  before 
His  Father. 

HebreAvs  iv.  15,  16.  "  AVe  have  not  an  Higli 
Priest  whicli  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling- 
of  our  infirmities," — cannot  sympathize  with  our 
weaknesses  ;  but  One  "Who  "  was  in  all  points 
tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  That 
being  so,  there  is  no  sin  in  being  tempted. 
"  Let  us  therefore  come  boldly  unto  the  Throne 
of  Grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find 
grace  to  help  in  time  of  need." 

The  more  we  think,  quietly,  that  God  loved 
His  Son  Jesls  Ciikist,  Who  was  One  with  Him 
from  all  Eternity ;  and  yet,  that  He  ''suffered:* 
in  all  the  manifold  ways  of  suffering  described 
in  the  Bible ;  in  the  widest  application  of  the 
term;  the  more  we  feel  that  "it  is  enough 
for  the  servant  to  be  as  his  Master."  And 
we  say  to  our  own  spirit,  when  it  rises  up  in 
rebellion:  "It  is  enough  for  the  servant  to  be 
as  his  Master ;  be  still ;  submit  thyself  to  thv 
God." 

And  secondly,  just  as  we  feel  drawn  to  those 
who  have  passed  through  similar  trials  to  ours, 
because  by  an  instinct  we  know  that  they  can 
enter  into  what  Ave  are  feeling; — because  it 
requires  no  expression  in  words,  to  make  xis 
certain  that  they  imderstand  the  suffering ;  so 
maj'  AA'e  be  certain  that  He  Whom  Satan  Avoidd 
alAvays  hide  from  us,  by  the  earth-born  clouds 
of  unbelief,  feels  for  us.  He  numbers  the  very 
hairs  of  our  head.  He  knows  the  source  from 
which  our  trial  comes,  the  reason  for  AA'hich  it 
is  allowed,  the  good  that  is  to  be  brought   out 


"77«e  Chastening  of  the  Lorciy         33 

of  it,  the  deliverance  that  is  ready.  He  sees 
the  end,  from  the  beginning ;  He  sees  the  "  way 
of  escape,"  when  we  only  feel'  surrounded  on 
every  side.  He  has  compassion,  because  "He 
Himself  hath  suffered,  being  tempted." 


Ti 


lY 


FRIDAY  EVENING,  16th  JULY,  1880. 


Hekrews  XII.  9 — 11.  "Furthermore,  we  have  had  fathers 
of  our  flesh  which  corrected  us,  and  we  gave  them  reverence  ; 
shall  we  not  much  rather  be  in  subjection  unto  the  Father  of 
spirits,  and  live  ?  For  they  verily  for  a  few  days  chastened  us 
after  their  own  pleasure ;  but  He  for  our  profit,  that  we  might 
be  partakers  of  His  holiness.  Now  no  chastening  for  the  pre- 
sent seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous ;  nevertheless  after- 
ward it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness  unto  them 
which  are  exercised  thereby." 

I.  The  first  argument,  in  tlie  passage  before 
lis,  for  submitting  ourselves  to  God  in  any  trial, 
is  based  on  the  fact  that  "chastening"  is  involved 
in  the  very  idea  of  sonship.  "  For  "what  fto)i  is 
he,  whom  the  father  chasteneth  not?"  If  you 
are  without  this  discipline, — of  which  all  "  sons," 
from  Jesus  Chkist  downwards,  have  become  ])ar- 
takcrs, — "  then  are  ye  bastards,  and  not  sons." 

II.  The  second  argument  is  given  in  the 
ninth  verse.  "  We  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh 
which   corrected  us" — educated    us, — "and  we 


"77<e  Chastening  of  the  Lord^         35 

gave  them  reverence  ;  shall  we  not  mucli  rather 
be  in  subjection" — submit  ourselves — "to  the 
Father  of  spirits,  and  live?" 

The  p^eneral  ground  of  this  appeal  is  obvious. 
It  is  e^Hldent  that  the  higher  the  being,  the 
greater  the  obligation  for  reverence.  The  claim 
of  a  Bishoj)  is  stronger  than  that  of  a  mere 
priest.  The  claim  of  the  Sovereign  is  higher 
than  that  of  any  subject.  If  therefore  we  re- 
verence an  earthly  parent,  much  more  should  we 
submit  with  reverence  to  a  Heavenly  Father. 

To  sum  up  briefly  all  that  is  suggested  for 
reflection,  as  distinguished  from  emotion,  in  this 
passage,  I  will  read  you  the  following  words. 

1.  "God,  as  Father,  is  as  much  exalted  above 
all  earthly  fathers,  as  a  spirit  is  above  the  flesh, 
and  a  man's  personal  being  above  his  natural 
existence. 

2.  "God  is  more  to  be  honoured  than  any 
earthly  parent,  because  the  earthly  father  is  such, 
onh'  to  this  or  that  individual  child  ;  whereas 
God  is  the  Father  of  the  whole  universe  of 
spirits.  All  living  existence,  all  independent 
life,  all  personal  life, — whether  that  life  be  a 
bodily  form  of  flesh  and  blood,  like  men,  or  a 
bodiless  one,  like  the  angels, — draws  its  origin 
from  Him ;  and  in  order  to  exist,  or  exist  aright, 
must  submit  itself  to  His  fatherly  discipline.  For 
the  human  spirit  is  not  an  absolute  principle  of 
life  in  man,  but  one  dependent  on  God,  its  Source. 
It  lives  only  from  Him,  and  with  Him,  and  in 
Him.  To  submit  ourselves  to  '  the  Father  of 
spirits'  is  an  essential  condition  of  our  life; — life, 
true  and  abiding,  not  merely  transient  or  apparent 


36        "77!(?  Chastening  of  tlic  Lord.^\ 

life ; — life  in  accordance  witli  tlie  true  ideal  of 
humanity,  likeness  to  Gou,  communion  with 
Him."*  ' 

III.  We  pass  on  to  tlie  third  argument. 
"  They  verily  for  a  few  days  chastened  us," — /.  c.y 
educated  us,  "  after  their  own  pleasure  ;  but  He, 
for  our  profit,  that  we  miglit  be  partakers  of  His 
holiness." 

The  idea  of  the  words  "  after  their  own  plea- 
sure "  is, — as  seemed  good  to  them ;  as  they 
thought  best ;  as  they  pleased,  in  the  best  sense 
of  the  word  "j^leased,"  It  does  not  convey  any 
idea  of  caprice.  It  simply  means  that  they  did 
the  best  they  could. 

In  these  few  words,  there  are  several  strik- 
ing contrasts  between  the  education  of  vcnj 
earthly  parent,  and  the  education  of  a  heavenly 
Father.  The  contrasts  are  not  worked  out, 
but  merely  suggested,  by  the  inspired  writer 
of  this  Epistle.  Let  me  draw  them  out  for 
you  in  detail. 

1.  They  chastened  us  "  for  a  few  days  ;"  for 
a  limited  period ;  in  the  time  of  our  youth  ;  while 
we  were  subject  to  them,  as  children  to  parents. 
They  chastened  vis  {IttuI'^wov)  for  a  while ;  and 
what  a  short  while  it  was!  For  what  is  our  life':* 
It  is  but  a  vapour.  It  is  like  the  grass  that  in 
the  morning  is  green  and  growing,  but  before 
night  is  cut  down  and  withered.  They  educated 
us  "for  a  few  days;"  but  God,  the  Infinite, 
the  Eternal  One,  is  beginning  with  us  an  eternal 
education. 

*  Dclitzch  on  Jlebreics.     Vol,  ii.  2)a(/e  320,  t/drd  edition. 


''The  Chastening  of  th e  Lord. "         37 

2.  They  chastened  us  "  after  tlieir  oAvn  plea- 
siu'e ;" — according  to  "svliat  seemed  good  to  them. 
It  was  but  a  changing  and  imperfect  standard, 
even  in  the  best  of  parents  ;  while  in  some,  alas ! 
passion  and  self-will  often  depraved  what  in  the 
ideal  parent  woidd  have  been  a  higher  tj^e  of 
education.  Our  negligences  and  ignorances,  how- 
ever earnestly  we  have  tried  to  rear  our  children 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  have, 
as  Ave  know,  sadly  marred  our  work.  But  the 
Heavenly  Father  educates  in  perfect  Wisdom  and 
perfect  Love.  In  Him  is  "  no  variableness, 
neither  shadow  of  turning." 

3.  The  human  parents  only  intended  the  good 
of  their  children.  But  the  "  Father  of  our 
spirits"  has  the  power  to  carry  His  intentions 
into  practice.  What  God  wills,  God  does.  The 
wnll  and  the  act  are  synonymous,  with  "  the  high 
and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  Eternity."  God's 
education  is  certain  to  lead  to  our  good,  unless 
deliberately  hindered  by  the  exercise  of  our  free- 
will. 

4.  Observe  the  difference  between  the  ultimate 
result  of  the  education  of  even  the  most  perfect 
parents  you  can  imagme,  and  the  result  of  God's 
education  of  us.  Even  if  our  own  ideal  is  fully 
realized,  what  is  it  compared  with  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  ideal  of  the  Divine  Mind, — of  the 
omniscient,  incomprehensible  Wisdom  ?  His  ideal 
is  "that  we  shoidd  become  ^jwr^fr/tfrs  of  His 
Holiness." 

See  what  four  great  contrasts  are  contained  in 
those  few  concentrated  words :  "  They  verily  for  a 
few  days  chastened  us,  after  their  own  pleasure ; 


38        ^'The  Cltaftening  of  tlte  Lord.^^ 

but   He,  for    our   profit,  tliat  we  miglit  bo  par- 
takers of  His  Holiness." 

Let  us  now  compare  with  tbis  verse  some 
other  passages  of  Holy  Scripture. 

1  St.  Peter  i.  6,  7.  "Now,  for  a  season,  if 
need  be,  jg  are  in  heaviness,  through  manifold 
temptations ;  that  the  trial  of  your  i'aith,  being 
much  more  precious  than  of  gold  that  perisheth, 
might  be  found  unto  praise  and  honour  and  glory 
at  the  Ajjpearing  of  Jesus  Ciihist." 

1  St.  Peter  v.  10.  "  The  God  of  all  grace, 
Who  hath  called  us  imto  His  eternal  glory  by 
Christ  Jesus,  after  that  ye  have  suffered  awhile, 
make  you  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen,  settle  you." 

2  St.  Peter  i.  4.  He  has  given  imto  us  "ex- 
ceeding great  and  precious  promises,"  that  we 
may  become  "  partakers  of  the  Divine  Nature." 

Colossians  i.  28.  "  That  we  may  present 
every  man  perfect  in  CiimsT  Jesus:" — this  is 
the  object  of  the  preaching  and  the  warning  and 
the  teaching  and  the  correction  which  we  receive. 
To  be  holy,  as  God  is  holy ;  to  be  perfect,  as  God 
is  perfect :  that  is  the  ultimate  end  of  all  the  hard 
battles  that  men  and  women  have  to  fight  with 
the  world  and  the  flesh  and  the  Devil.  That  is 
the  end  and  aim  of  all  the  hard  battling  with 
their  lower  natures  ;  of  standing  alone  in  defence 
of  what  is  right :  of  taking  the  unpopular  line, 
and  witnessing  for  God  ;  of  patiently  bearing  all 
the  trial,  whether  it  be  in  the  active  or  the  suf- 
fering life  : — to  be  "perfect,"  at  last ;  to  be  holy, 
at  last ! 

Take  but  one  single  instance,  closely  linked 


"  The  Chastenimj  of  the  LordJ^         39 

with  the  chapter  that  -we  are  considering.  The 
Lord  has  told  us  that  we  are  to  be  merciful,  not 
for  any  lower  motive,  but  because  our  Father  in 
Heaven  is  merciful.  He  never  takes  a  lower 
ground  than  that ;  we  are  to  be  like  our  Father. 
We  are  to  forgive,  because  God  forgives ;  we  are 
to  love,  because  our  Father  Ioacs.  We  are  to 
shower  do\\Ti  mercy  on  those  who  have  injured 
us,  because  our  Father  sends  the  sunshine  and 
the  gentle  rain  upon  the  just  and  upon  the  unjust, 
on  the  evil  and  the  good. 

Suppose  that  the  end  of  a  long  life  of  trial  were 
this ;  that  we  learned  to  be  compassionate, — as 
Jesus  learned  compassion,  in  His  Human  Nature, 
by  suffering  :* — if  in  even  that  single  thing  we 
learned  to  copy  our  Father  in  Heaven,  would  not 
that  be  enough  to  compensate  us  for  a  life-long 
affliction  ? 

And  it  is  very  remarkable,  when  you  watch  the 
lives  of  others,  as  years  roll  on,  to  see  how  those 
w^ho  have  never  had  to  pass  through  much  trial 
are  hard  in  their  judgment  on  others.  You  may 
have  noticed  it  in  some  person  who  was  upright 
and  irreproachable,  and  who  perhaps  was  never 
misunderstood,  and  who  never  had  one  breath 
of  slander  cast  upon  him,  but  went  on  trium- 
phantly rejoicing,  like  Job  in  his  integrity.  And 
you  may  have  noticed  how,  after  the  time  of  trial 
came, —  such  as  Christ  bore  when  He  was  wrongly 
accused, — there  came  also  a  gentleness,  a  con- 
scious dependence  upon  others,  a  realization  of 
how  much  every-one  on  earth  depends  upon  the 
brotherhood  of  Christ,  with  which  we  are  linked 
*  Heb.  ii.  17 ;  iv.  15 ;  v.  2. 


40        ''  The  Chastening  of  the  LordT 

by  eternal  ties.  So  there  sprang  up  more  sense 
of  the  need  of  others ;  more  readiness  to  sym- 
pathize with  others,  and  to  cultivate  friendly  re- 
lations with  them. 

So  also  with  sorrow,  of  eyery  kind; — unless 
the  sorrow  hardens  and  embitters  the  heart,  and 
develops  a  complaining,  murmuring  spirit,  de- 
feating the  whole  object  of  God  in  the  trial. 
Unless  the  Will  of  God  is  thus  deliberately  de- 
feated, it  is  very  beautiful  to  watch  some  of  the 
older  saints,  those  who  through  the  discipline  of 
three  score  years  and  ten  have  been  purified  ;  the 
gentleness,  the  compassion,  the  tender  power  to 
make  allowance  for  others.  Is  not  that  some- 
thing,— to  have  learned,  in  one  point  at  least,  to 
imitate  God  ;  to  be  merciful,  even  as  our  Father 
in  Heaven  is  merciful  ? 

Here  let  me  say,  that  this  is  the  really  noble 
end  of  life;  not — to  have  sweet  religious  reveries; 
not — to  have  comfort, — though  we  may  thank 
God  when  the  comfort  comes ;  not — to  sit  down 
hereafter  Avith  iVbraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  although  that  is  a  legiti- 
mate object  for  our  ambition  and  our  prayers  ; 
but — to  become  like  God  ;  to  look  up  to  that 
I3eing  of  unspeakable  Power  and  Wisdom  and 
Love,  and  to  know  that  hereafter,  God  helping 
us,  "  we  shall  be  like  Him,  for  Ave  shall  see  Him 
as  He  is."*  We  shall  have  gained  a  similarity  to 
God  which  will  enable  us  to  look  into  that  Nature, 
Avhich  at  present  we  are  simply  poAverless  to 
appreciate  and  understand. 

Think  over  this  verse  for  yourselves.  It  is 
*  1  St.  John  iii.  2. 


"77z<?  Chastening  of  the  Lardy         41 

one  of  the  most  deep  and  wonderful  texts  in  the 
Bible.  "Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God; 
and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be  ;  but 
we  know  that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
like  Him;  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is."  A 
person  cannot  "  see  "  another, — cannot  appreciate 
or  understand  another,  of  a  high  and  pure  and 
holy  nature, — till  he  has  risen  in  some  measure  to 
the  level  of  the  high  and  pxare  and  holy  nature 
that  he  is  contemplating.  A  selfish  person  can- 
not understand  an  ungrudging  character.  A 
narrow  mind  cannot  imderstand  a  large  compre- 
hensive intellect.  So,  the  hope  that  one  day  we 
shall  see  Goi)  implies  that  we  shall  be  "  like 
Him ;"  and  the  end  and  aim  of  our  life  is  to 
become,  through  any  discipline  that  God  may 
appoint,  holy  as  He  is  holj^  perfect  as  He  is  per- 
fect. "  Every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  Him 
purifieth  himself,  even  as  He  is  pui'e."* 

lY.  ^Ve  pass  on  to  the  next  point,  the  fourth 
argument.  "  Xow  no  chastening  for  the  present 
seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous  ;  nevertheless 
afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righte- 
ousness unto  them  which  are  exercised  thereb3\" 

Observe  how  this  thought  is  brought  out  in  the 
Service  for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick.  "  Know 
certainly,  that  if  you  truly  repent  you  of  your 
sins,  and  bear  your  sickness  patiently,  trusting  in 
God's  Mercy,  for  His  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ's 
sake,  submitting  yourself  wholly  unto  His  Will, 
it  shall  turn  to  your  profit,  and  help  you  forward 
in  the  right  way  that  leadeth  unto  everlasting 
•  1  St.  John  iii.  -2,  D.    St.  Matt.  v.  8. 


42        ''  The,  Chastening  of  the  Lord:'' 

life. — Christ  Himself  went  not  up  to  joy,  but 
first  He  suffered  pain ;  He  entered  not  into  His 
glory,  before  He  was  crucified.  80  truly  our  way 
to  eternal  joy  is  to  sufi:'er  here  with  Christ  ; 
and  our  door  to  enter  into  eternal  life  is  gladly  to 
die  witb  Christ  ;  that  we  may  rise  again  from 
death,  and  dwell  with  Him  in  everlasting  life." 

That  word  translated  "  exercised "  is  a  very 
strong  word.  It  means  "  trained  in  the  gymna- 
sium;" trained,  as  wrestlers  and  runners  in  a  race 
are  trained. 

You  can  study  these  parallel  passages,  at  your 
leisure.  1  Timothy  iv.  7.  Hebrews  v.  14.  Ro- 
mans V.  3 — 6. 

Two  thoughts  are  here  suggested. 

1.  AYhat  a  picture  of  life  it  gives  us,  this  Avord 
"  exercised  ! '  If  a  man  is  being  trained  at  Ox- 
ford for  the  race  with  Cambridge,  he  is  called  at 
a  certain  hour  in  the  morning ;  he  must  get  up, 
and  run  a  certain  distance ;  all  day,  he  must  eat 
nothing  but  a  certain  amount  of  food,  and  be 
limited  as  to  the  kind  of  food ;  he  nuist  submit 
to  rules,  in  everything ;  even  on  a  hot  summer's 
day,  he  must  not  touch  anything  that  he  likes,  but 
must  eat  and  drink  simply  what  is  prescribed. 
"Now  they  do  it,"  as. St.  Paul  says,  "to  obtain 
a  corruptible  crown  ;  but  we,  an  incorruptible."* 
This  is  the  onh'  picture  of  life  that  the  Bible 
endorses ;  a  great  training -time  for  that  glorious 
end. 

Here  let  me  say, — without  entering  into  the 
question  of  human  discipline,  of  self-chastening 
penances,  which  is  a  difficult  subject, — that  there 
*  1  Cor.  ix.  24,  ITk 


^^Tlie  Chastening  of  the  Lord^         43 

is  a  great  danger  in  the  biirdens  that  we  bind 
upon  ourselves,  or  even  the  burdens  that  are 
bound  upon  us  bj'  those  whose  opinion  we  value. 
There,  is  always  danger  ;  liabilit}^  to  err,  liability 
to  exaggeration,  liability  to  unworthy  motives,  and 
the  like.  I  am  not  disparaging  these  burdens ;  I 
am  only  saying  that  they  are  dangerous,  and  re- 
quire much  guarding.  But  any  "adversity,"  of 
whatever  kind, — anything  that  seems  to  hinder 
us,  anything  that  we  dislike,  in  our  Church,  in 
our  parish,  in  our  home,  in  our  own  individual 
souls ;  an}'  trial,  whether  within  or  without,  is 
from  God,  or  allowed  by  God.  It  is  "  God's 
Visitation,"  ^Ve  cannot  go  wrong,  when  it  is 
God's  yoke  which  is  laid  upon  us,  if  we  drink  in 
the  Bible  teaching,  as  interpreted  for  us  by  our 
Prayer-Book,  in  the  "Visitation  of  the  Sick:"' 
submitting  to  God's  Hand,  it  must  "  turn  to  our 
profit,"  sooner  or  later.  "\Ve  are  perfectly  safe^ 
there.  God  Alisiigiity  has  allowed  it.  He  is  train- 
ing us  for  a  glorious  end :  "  His  servants  shall 
serve  Him."  We  desire  nothing  higher  than  to 
be  made  fit  to  be  door-keepers  in  the  everlasting 
Kingdom.  If,  in  all  our  life,  we  only  learn  the 
office  of  a  "  door-keeper,"  to  sit  still  and  be  quiet, 
to  wait  and  to  watch,  the  life  will  not  have  been 
wasted. 

It  is  this  thought  which  will  reconcile  many 
to  living,  who  are  tired  of  life.  There  is  so  much 
to  be  done  within  us,  yet  I  There  are  many 
courses,  in  the  great  training-school  of  God's 
elect ;  and  he  must  be  strangely  ignorant  of  his 
owTi  state,  who  fancies  that  he  has  already  learned 
all  that  God  can  teach  him  by  trial  and  discipline. 


44         ^^Tlie  Chastening  of  the  Lord.'' ^ 

God  forbid  tliat  any  of  us  should  say,  "  I  need  no 
more  ■discipline." 

For  aught  that  we  knoAv,  the  discipline  of 
pain,  of  trial,  of  disappointment,  is  entirely 
limited  to  this  earth.  It  is  probable  that  the 
education  after  death  is  the  education  of  joy  and 
brightness  in  the  sunshine  of  the  Fatiier's  Love, 
and  that  we  shall  never  have  again  the  oppor- 
tunity which  God  is  giving  us  here,  of  the  edu- 
cation of  trial,  pain,  restraint,  limitation,  failure, 
bereavement. 

2.  The  second  thought  is  this : — the  Tender- 
ness of  God,  as  exhibited  in  this  passage. 

How  different  from  the  teaching  of  many  re- 
ligious books,  is  the  standard  of  the  Prayer-Book 
and  Bible  !  How  many  good  biographers  seem 
to  feel  that  it  is  a  matter  of  loyalty  to  the  persons 
whose  life  they  are  recording,  to  leave  on  our 
minds  the  impression  that  when  they  were  sore 
tempted,  enduring  great  bodily  suffering,  or  some 
very  hard  trial,  such  as  misrepresentation  and 
slander,  they  were  feeling  happy ;  persuaded  in 
their  minds  that  it  was  a  very  enjo^'able  period 
through  which  they  were  passing ! 

It  is  true  that  there  are  often  times  of  strange 
exultation,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  agonizing 
sorrow,  and  the  most  lier}'  temptations,  and  the 
most  awful  agony.  The  saints  of  God  have  con- 
tinually experienced  such  times ;  not  only  the 
more  advanced  saints,  but  even  those  who  are  mere 
beginners  in  the  school  of  affliction.  God  can 
give  that  experience ;  but  there  is  nothing  in  the 
Bible  to  warrant  the  assumption  that  it  is  a  mark 


'•  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord^         45 

of  weakuess,  io  feel  the  pain  and  the  trial  and  the 
temptation.  "  No  chastening,  for  the  present, 
seemeth  to  he  joyous,  but  grievous." 

Observe  the  Tenderness  of  Gon.  The  Bible 
recognizes  the  facts  of  life,  and  helps  us  to  deal 
with  those  facts  in  the  best  way.  And  so,  here, 
the  Bible  recognizes  the  facts  of  human  expe- 
rience. "  For  the  present,"  while  it  lasts,  in  this 
transitory  scene,  it  does  not  appear  to  be  a  thing 
of  joy,  but  of  pain.  This  is  the  literal  trans- 
lation. 

"  Nevertheless,  aftericard  it  j'ieldeth  the  peace- 
able fruit  of  righteousness,  unto  them  which  are 
exercised  thereby ; "  to  those  who  have  been 
trained  through  it.  It  giccs  hack  peaceable  fruit, 
as  the  reicard.  We  need  not  be  afraid  of  the 
word  "  rcAvard,"  if  we  use  it  in  the  scriptural 
sense. 

We  see,  then,  the  Tenderness  of  God,  in  de- 
scribing chastening,  not  as  a  thing  of  joy,  but  of 
pain. 

Take  these  two  texts :  St.  Matthew  xxvi.  38, 
St.  John  xii.  27 ;  and  compare  with  that  experi- 
ence of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  experience  of 
all  the  Apostles  and  Saints  in  the  Bible.  You 
find,  in  all  of  them,  a  quiet  recognition  of  the  fact 
that  pain  is  pain,  and  that  trial — whether  of  body, 
heart,  mind,  or  spirit — is  hard  to  endure.  The 
soul  of  the  sinless  Christ  was  **  sorro^vful,  and 
very  hea\y."  "  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowfid, 
even  mito  death ;  tarry  ye  here,  and  watch  with 
Me."  Though  He  was  without  sin,  our  Divine 
Elder  Brother  was  not  ashamed  of  saying  this, 
to  the  disciples  whom  He  was  bracing  for  the 


46        ''  The  Chastening  of  the  Lord.^^ 

same  Avarfare,  and  the  same  hard  endurance, 
Avhich  is  the  lot  of  every  child  of  a  fallen 
humanity. 

Thank  God,  that  lie  Whom  yve  have  to  follow 
has  heen,  "  in  all  thin<^s,  made  like  unto  His 
hrethren  ;''  and  that  the  Father  of  our  spirits 
— to  Whom  we  have  to  render  the  account, — by 
Whose  standard  alone,  as  expressed  in  Holy 
Scripture  and  formulated  for  us  in  our  Prayer- 
Book,  we  are  hereafter  to  be  judged, — has  said  : 
"No  chastening  for  the  present  seemeth  to  be  joj'- 
ous,  but  grievous."  He,  your  God  and  Father, 
recognizes  the  fact. 

Only,  remember  also, — and  therefore  be  brave ; 
or  rather,  pray  Him  to  make  you  brave ; — re- 
member, with  thankfulness,  that  "  afterward  "  it 
will  yield,  to  those  who  have  submitted  them- 
selves, and  who  have  allowed  God  to  be  the 
Educator  of  their  lives,  "the  peaceable  fruit  of 
righteousness." 


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LENT  LECTURES.   Fcap. Svo.  clotli bo.ards.  Is.     IThirteenth  Thousand. 

MORNING    AND    EVENING    PRAYERS    FOR    CHILDREN. 

On  Card,  Id. 

PENITENTIARY   WORK:    Its   Principles,   Method,    Difficul- 
ties, and  Encouragements.    Fcap.  Svo.  price  6d. 

PRAYERS   FOR   CHILDREN.    -Simo.  2d. 

THE  POWER  OF  SUFFERING :   A  Thought  for  Holy  Week. 

6d.  per  Packet  of  Twelve. 

THE  POWER  OF  WEAKNESS  :  A  Thought  for  Good  Friday. 

Fcap.  Svo.  Od. 

THOUGHTS    FOR    THE    DAY    OF    INTERCESSION.      Id.;  fis. 
per  bundroil.  [_Fiftccntli.  T}iOUsand. 

THOUGHTS  ON  CALVARY.    The  Substance  of  Two  Good 
Friday  Addresses.    Fcap.  8vo.  3d. 

TWO  ADDRESSES  TO   COMMUNICANTS.    Fcap.  Svo.  6d. 


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SELF-EXAMINATION    QUESTIONS.      Founded  on  the    Ten 
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SIMPLE    PRAYERS    FOR   DAILY    USE    FOR  YOUNG  PER- 
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